All'ínizio – The Beginning…

I cant believe it…im actually on a plane on the first leg of my journey….the first step of the adventure….armed with my “no-cry” scarf from mom, (my favorite of hers she let me take on the journey to help during the homesick moments)

I said goodbye to my mum and dad this morning 

(tearfully of course, I mean lets be real I cry when they leave Boise and  you don’t even have to cross a lake to get there, let alone an ocean and the International Date Line)

…this is by far the scariest thing that I have ever attempted (yes mum, a good "growing point") or really even thought about, cancer I didn’t really understand until it was all over, but this is so much more and a totally different type of fear….i was telling mom last night and this morning that I don’t think that I can really comprehend what is actually happening, like the fact that I am off to Italy, to LIVE there...that while yes this is a “vacation” (I mean there is no way that this even feels like reality) im not coming home in a matter of weeks, staying in a hotel, or simply being a tourist….by the time I return, seasons will have changed, my parents will have been married one more year, my brand new nephew, Dominic (born dec 23) will be 6 months, Gracelyn (my neice) will have celebrated her first birthday, kids will be out of school for summer, Boise will be gearing up for another football season, and as with any passage of time there will be births, deaths, graduations, anniversaries, and growth and changes in all those that I love….but I will also have evolved, I will learn all sorts of new things, have new experiences and be a braver, stronger person when I return…I will move from tourist to traveler….these next four months are as much about seeing Italy, eating, studying, living, and learning, as they are about simply proving to myself  that I can do this, and I am strong enough to do this…..this trip is a gift, one that was almost taken away by a single scare from my past….but I truly think it was only to bring my attention from the fear of all that is new and scary about the next four months, to realizing how much I really, REALLY want this…

Last Thursday I went to see my doctor for my routine ultrasound (every six months for preventative care) following an exciting blood test result of an undetectable tumor marker in the end of November…we went in having nothing to fear.. however as doc would tell me, I had two little lymph nodes that had grown 1mm in 9 months (to skip an entire medical education on the thyroid and my cancer route, that’s a lot and a cause for some cautionary alarm)…being 8 days out from leaving we immediately took biopsies and started everyone we could think of praying….if we found the cancer was back, that meant a definite postponement of the trip if all went well, but for sure a state of limbo…being told there wouldn’t be results until the following Wednesday (3 days before take-off) I held off packing, I figured it’d be even more upsetting to have to unpack….however thanks to the AMAZING power of prayer, mom rushed into work on Monday and with an elated, teary voice sang out that I could pack my bags! (I can hear her saying it now and still makes me teary)….all was clear thank God and I could safely, gratefully, and healthily pack my bags and get truly excited….like mom said, no matter how scared I am to go, I knew that this was exactly what I HAD to do because, now, I cant imagine NOT being allowed to go…..

The second (and far less in the grand scheme of life) hiccup came on no other day than yesterday (naturally)…my contact in the US for my study abroad program called to say that my host family that I had been planning on staying with in Italy for about 2 or so months now had had an emergency and would no longer be able to host me….but God in his overabundant blessings had fashioned TWO other host families in Turin, and I was given the option to choose!...so for all those that asked and I told about my old family, here are the details on my new family….the dad, Simone,  is a director at a large international manufacturing (and I believe creating) factory of commercial buses and trucks based in Turin, and the mom, Eliana, works part-time at a human resource office…they have a 4 year old son, named Giacomo (who I am totally excited to meet!)…the 4 grandparents are very present and visit often helping with the little one….they wanted to host an American student because Simone maybe getting transferred to the US this year and they want to improve their English…they live in a nice apartment (they sent pictures) across from my school…and even have wifi! Which is a very big deal in Italian households J….there will of course be more on them and tons of stories to come I am sure!...

I plan to write here as much as possible in order to keep a good journal for myself (knowing me Ill be really good, even overtly good, at this for a couple weeks and then back off to a much more sane and moderate amount) I am currently on my flight to Minneapolis where I will then connect to Chicago to spend the night with my Aunt Wendy (moms sister who lives about 3 hours away from the city in Wisconsin, and has driven down for the night)…thank you for coming along with my on this journey, I will definitely be writing on the llloooonnnnnngggg flight to Frankfurt, Germany tomorrow J….and as they say in Italy….il suo tempo per iniziare! (it is time to begin)

PS this is Ganz….he is a frog that is my companion on the trip…he wanted to come along and see the world with me (thanks to Kristi Payne for bringing us together!) I think he is rather adorable and I plan on bringing him everywhere, almost like a Flat Stanley of sorts, and together we shall scratch off some items on the ol’bucket list!